LAKELAND, Fla.—A week after testing the limits of the scoreboard at Victory Field, the Fire football team is back in action for homecoming against Sun Conference foe Ave Maria.
The Fire are coming off of an 87-28 victory over Virginia University Lynchburg last week, which featured the home team scoring in all three phases of the game. Cornerback
Alex Mack gave the Fire defense its fourth straight game with a touchdown when he returned an interception 32 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter.
"We're excited about the way our defense has been playing," said head coach
Keith Barefield. "They pick us up at the right time. All I ask of our defense as the head coach is get the ball back. Not only have they been getting it back, they've been getting it in the end zone."
Johnathan Hicks returned a punt for a touchdown for the first time as a member of the Fire, scooping up a miss-hit ball, and taking it into the end zone from a yard out.
On offense, quarterback
Railond Garrett, in his third career start, was 13-of-22 for 212 yards with five touchdowns and just one interception. He also rushed for 75 yards on six carries.
Michael Wheary and
Jarrell Reynolds each had three catches and two touchdowns apiece.
Saturday is Homecoming for the Fire, and will hope to avenge one of their three losses from last season in front of a large crowd at Victory Field.
Last season, Ave Maria rallied from a 28-24 halftime deficit to win 38-35 in Naples. A 33-yard pass from quarterback Clayton Uecker to Travis Makauskas with 1:10 left in the third quarter ended up being the difference.
The Gyrenes enter the 2015 version of the matchup at 3-3, having had a three-game win streak snapped last week by NCAA Division II North Greenville University 49-13.
Ave Maria boasts The Sun Conference's top defense, allowing an average of just 333.8 yards per game and 25.7 points per contest. The Gyrenes are fifth in the NAIA in sacks with 20, averaging 3.3 per game.
"They're very active on defense, and play multiple fronts," said Barefield. "Their linebackers are very active, their line is very strong, and their secondary has a lot of speed.
"We have our work cut out for us trying to establish something on the ground," said Barefield.
On offense, redshirt junior quarterback Matt Kreichman has been solid since taking the reins and guiding a come-from-behind win at Warner. The Coconut Creek, Florida native has gone 21-of-34 for 170 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions. Kreichman has also rushed for 90 yards on 20 carries.
"Our defense needs to continue to get the ball back for us, our offense needs to be consistent and establish a running game for us to be successful," said Barefield of the matchup.
Kickoff will be at 7 p.m. at Victory Field on the campus of Southeastern University. Live video will be available through
Stretch Internet, and live stats are provided by
Dakstats.
